Two Barras On The Colotepec River

Colotepec River

When someone tells you they live in the Barra,
it’s helpful to know which Barra they mean, since there
are actually two Barras: the Barra de Colotepec (also called
Barra 1) on the west bank of the Colotepec River, closer to Puerto
Escondido, and the Barra de Navidad (Barra 2) on the east bank.
Both sides are worth exploring for the birds, the crocodiles, and the
turtles of the delta and lagoons, not to mention the spectacular
river and ocean views. When I need to get away from Puerto for a
few hours of relaxation, I go to one of the riverside restaurants in
the Barra de Colotepec.

Families, Barra de Colotepec

Back in the day, not so long ago, both Barras were also famous
for their sometimes violent family feuds. In some rural areas on the
coast people bemoan the good old days, but the people of the Barras
are proud of their new-found peace and prosperity. The town
now has a preschool, a primary and a secondary school, as well as
a public health clinic. Most of the roads are paved, there are streetlights,
and the water from the river is piped in. There is also a cooperative
which protects the olive ridley turtles by collecting the eggs
and burying them in a fenced off area on the beach.

Event, Barra de Colotepec

Last year, the state of Oaxaca granted the Barra de Colotepec
the status of agencia municipal of Santa María Colotepec, making
it the first community in the municipio to have this title. The new
agencia is now responsible for garbage collection, roads and other
infrastructure. Since all the land in the municipio of Santa María Colotepec
is communal, residents do not pay property tax but rather
contribute their labor (servicio or tequio) to civic projects.
The big festival in the Barra de Colotepec honors San Isidro the
Farmer, the highpoint of which are elaborate fireworks, dances, jaripeo
rodeos, and cockfights. Most of the events take place between
May 13 and 15.

Bounded on the south by the Pacific, on the west by the Punta
of Zicatela, and, on the other side of the highway, by Emiliano Zapata,
the Barra de Colotepec is mostly devoted to agriculture, but
much of the land has been broken up into lots for residential development.
There are signs everywhere offering land for sale.

Sage, The Herbal Garden

With 35 hectares in Barra 2 and a packaging plant in Barra 1,
The Herbal Garden of Mexico is one of the largest agricultural
enterprises
in the area. Here Hermann David Davó grows various
organic culinary herbs for export to the U.S., including basil, chives,
sage, rosemary, mint, tarragon, and thyme.

Davó came here from Mexico City in 1978 to grow and buy peanuts
for a shelling plant near Cuernavaca. By 1997 he had 5,000
hectares from La Barra all the way to Cuajinicuilapa on the border
with Guerrero, and he was supplying 80% of the Productos Nipón’s
Japanese-style peanuts as well as peanuts for Snicker bars. That was
the year that hurricane Pauline ravaged the coast and all the plantations
were destroyed. Nonetheless, Davó says, “The vocation of
the land on the coast is for growing peanuts and cotton.” Peanuts,
he says, have the advantage
of being less labor intensive,
and, since it is a legume, it
fixes nitrates to the soil.

Vacation house, Barra de Colotepec

The Barra’s rich agricultural
land has also attracted
Rogelio Chávez, a Mexican-
American, who last year
started cultivating eight
hectares of vetiver grass
from plants he bought in
Sola de Vega. Vetiver is used
widely in India and China to
protect against soil erosion
and mud slides. This grass
is unique because its dense
root system grows downwards
two to four meters in
depth, thus holding the soil
while also absorbing large
quantities of water, according
to Chávez, who sees
great potential for this crop
on Oaxaca’s unsteady slopes.

Silviano Cruz with Heliconia

Silviano Cruz, the former
Tourism Commissioner
of Colotepec, is a native of
the Barra de Colotepec who
grows heliconia flowers for
export on a hectare of land next to the river. Thanks to the coast’s
climate and plentiful water, crops can grow here all year round.
Sr. Cruz and his family also own land above the beach which they
have broken up into lots to sell to people wanting to build vacation
homes. You can call him at 954 540 8167 for heliconia or land.

New house, Barra de Colotepec

It’s always a
pleasure to spend
an afternoon or
evening at a riverside
restaurant. El
Río is a new one in
the Barra de Colotepec
and features
a small beach from
which you can walk
across the river in
the winter. (The
river rages during
the rainy season.)
Be warned that on
occasion there are
crocodiles. Jimmy
James, a veteran
R&B singer from
Montreal will be
performing at El
Río every Sunday
or Monday night
through April. The
restaurant is open
daily from 9 a.m. to
10 p.m.